Translate

Sunday, August 31, 2014

And then there were none

"Hope is a good thing" they said "May be the best of things". Well said. Yes hope is a good thing.Its cause you think supernaturally, makes you to endure in a dream world, on the other hand its make you do stupid worthless things.All my days start with a new hope even though most of them were flops.Hopes of earning more salary, hope of getting an on-site chance, the hope of living like a king, hope of getting more friends.....

I could say I got lucky enough to have a vast number of friends from both boys and girls.Most of my friends from girls considers me as their brother.Ofcourse, it's a small trick of girls. If a boy is not good looking or not up to level they expected, they will simply make him as a brother.Though I enjoyed my life with each of my friends. And there wasn't any hope of getting a girlfriend till that day.

My office life starts at 11 am and it longs till 8 PM. Diya and I was in same team where as Irine and Rahul was in other teams. Rahul, Diya, Irin and I. we knew each other before. We were classmates. We were lucky to be here in the same project.

Among the number of restaurants, ABFC was the only one where Keala meals are available. We normally have our lunch from ABFC. It was little far from my ODC. Then too we preferred to go there.We tried varieties with foods from ABFC. If you go there, six out of 10 people you meet there would be from Keala. we four go together and one will collect the cash and get the bill. at the same time, two of the remaining will stand in the queue in front of the food counter and last person will look around and reserve a table with 4 chairs for us. Diya was the one who was more expertise on this task.It was not that easy to execute that. You need some skill to do it neatly.By gods grace Diya got it in sight.She looks around and try to reserve an available table. if there no free seats, she will examine the plates of each person and stand beside the table where people with less food remaining on their plate.

Usually we take 1-1.15 hours to finish our lunch.Everyday process is same.coming together, accumulating cash, eating together and moving.All same except that day. Except that above mentioned day.

I was put into the task of reserving seat that day.I commenced my work. I looked around and found a vacant table at the right most side of the eating place.I got at that place and found myself a seat In one of the chair. I was waiting for others to arrive.I could catch some familiar faces in that location in the hall. suddenly I

heard somebody from behind saying something in Malayalam. I reversed back. a group of three four people are coming towards my direction. three boys and a young girl.Being a boy, my eyes were on that girl. That girl in a navy blue, salvar, holding a plate of Kerala meals in her hands coming towards me. She was too careful not to spill any of the dishes onto other people.

She is asking her friends to move fast.They occupied the table near to us.We started lunching. I spent my lunch time by examining her.I could find out some specialities in her expression. I felt so. Something that makes her more pretty.She was the most chatty person I have ever seen In my life. she never let others to spread out their mouth. She was the only one talking there. saying something, expressing joy at her friends. Such a nice girl she was. I strained hard to hide my excitement from my friends.Yes, I was shaken up. I was happy Indeed. I don't know why. of course, sometimes you feel exceedingly happy for nothing. Its like that.

Things got changed that day. The entire day my thoughts was about her, 'what's her name.?', 'which project.?','where she stays.?', and most importantly 'Is ABFC the restaurant where she have her lunch every day?'. While sitting in my office, I recollected the exact time we went for lunch. It was around twenty minutes passed one.

That moment itself, i decided my lunch time for the coming days.I tried to picture her in my mind."No, I can't. Not complete" I thought. Something is missing. More than thirty minutes was not enough to recall her face." Tomorrow I need to pass more time at that place.I necessitate to see what draws her face something special" I calculated everything in my head.End of the first day!.

Next day, I called everyone at 1pm and asked them to come for lunch. Rahul was little busy with his work. He asked for ten minutes. It was hard to spare that

time.but no way.I waited.Albin was also there that day.He is also a malayali guy.He was in a problem.He was not allocated in any of the project. But he was mapped under our project. So he used to come to our office most of those days for nothing but to talk to our manager.

We started our five minute journey to ABFC. We are already late by 5 minutes. I speed up and flexed back. Diya and Erin are walking as they are vying for a slow walk competition.What the hell these guys are acting.I stood there and waited them to reach me. told them to speed up. they stared at me as they see me for the first time.

"We are going to the upstairs. Erin wants salad." Diya said. Okiezzz... go.. I thought as I agreed by shaking my head.

We three reached ABFC. I started searching for that face. No, I couldn't. "where she is ". I asked myself. Now she is not here. I answered myself. Finally, I realized. She is not here in this restaurant. 'Did she finish her lunch.? Or yet to come?' . All possibilities run through my mind.

"What you want. Kerala meals.. Right?" Rahul asked me as he moves towards the bill counter. I replied with something. I had my lunch without much interaction with them. I came back to ODC. My tech lead give me some work to discover whatever he said ,but none of them got into my head. I began working slowly but later I recognized that that work needs more presence of intellect..So gradually I engaged with my work and she moved out of my mind. but not for ever. only for that few hours.

Two days later. Exactly two days later, She was there in my queue. Same venue, same time. I saw her. This time I utilized the opportunity. I watched her fearlessly. Oh my god. there was not a single scratch or pimple on her face.but that was not the speciality of her face. I studied carefully. I will be able to describe her face at

any time. Later I found the speciality of her face. Oh, so this is what makes her pretty. I thought in my mind.But that speciality is a top secret. I can't write that here. because it may lead others to identify her.

As days go by,it became my routine to see her.Some days I was not able to see her.but she was there in ABFC almost all the days.She never recognized any of my activities. Not even my existence till that fine day.Diya and Erin chose an other restaurant that day. We three decided not to change the locale. We went there without them and we started our lunching in the leftmost table. Rahul wanted to sample something different apart from Kerala meals. so he ordered one fried rice for him and one noodle for me.I searched her In the restaurant. she Is not there. I started enjoying my lunch as I am looking out through the window. we could examine everything on the outside through the glass walls of the lobby.

I was lucky enough to see her outside, sitting with her friends.I told Albin to watch her. The first minute itself, he understood her talkative nature.He sounded out some compliments about her. Her face expression, movement of hands while talking, her laughing.. Everything I watched as I see this for the first time in my life.We ate up our luncheon and she still there. She seems like a person without any work to do there in the office. Albin wanted to watch her closely. we decided to walk in front of her, so that we could look straight into her face from a shortest distance.

I revised my design in my mind and fixed the D point, Point at which I should look into her face."Look must be casual as i am enjying the infrastructure of the office. doesn't stare. she shouldn't understand I'm looking her".I trained myself.We started. I felt some music is playing in the background.From the starting point itself, I began to rotate my heads in order to create an impression of a person enjoying the infrastructure.I saw that D point appears closer.Its few steps away. The next second itself, I lifted my head and saw her.What the hell. She is looking at me. Staring actually. What will I do now. The plan failed. My reaction was enough for a clever girl to understand my intention.I acted as a normal person, but wasn't enough for the situation. any way we went forward according to the plan. we walked straight and took a U turn and reached the starting point through an elliptical track.

On that point, standing Diya Irin and Neetu. Rahul has already ordered them about her and our plan."Where is she" Diya said"I want to visit". They desire to carry through the same program that we both managed a few minutes ago."better not to visit her today, I will show you tomorrow, " I said. that was not enough to end them.

Then I ordered them to get hold of the same course and to walk as they are getting back to ODC.

Diya nodded as she understood everything.They started walking... they walked till that D point.Then stood still...then looked into her face for the next few seconds..Then a sharp U turn from that D point itself. Now it doesn't matter how clever she is, their acting was enough for any girl to understand the whole story.

"Why did you stare at her. you could walk straight and come through the other direction na. Why did you come back suddenly after looking after her?" I fired many questions at her. she replied with a never mind attitude.

I saw her again. many times. but its quiet visible from her reaction that she understood me and my actions.She started showing some kind of uncomfortable in my presence.Its paid me some kind of pain in me.Days went by.One day Diya gave me really good advice, she advised me not to die before her.She was right.Why should I get an unknown girl uncomfortable.If she doesn't like or if she is uncomfortable because of my actions, it's safer for me to finish everything.Hence I resolved that day to avoid everything about her, from the mind.

The next day I saw her. Standing with her friends in front of ABFC. I accidentally saw that. Then I moved away my eyes. I tried to avoid every possible chance of meeting her. But every day I saw her. So I couldn't forget her completely.However, my brain was so eager to see her. I dint want to make her uncomfortable. But she was something special formed. it was not easily removable. Somewhere in mind, I actually liked her.I finished looking at her even though I wanted to assure her. If I accidently see her, I didn't move for a second look. I could wield it well. she was however a face which gets me so glad to find out.

That Friday Albin joined in our project team. My tech lead selected him as a resource. Next Monday we spent a long time there in ABFC.I didn't see her.At the end of the day, Rahul and I told Albin to drop us on the main road so that we could get the MTC bus.Albin used to arrive by bike.He took us from the main gate of the office. Main road is 1 KM away from the main gate.We three in Albin's bike moved to the main road. He stopped his bike beside a footpath.

We came down from the bike. vehicles were waiting for the signal to strike on. Just before crossing the road, I picked up a young woman and a boy coming through the same footpath. It was 8 in the night. Street lights were enough to see them.They walk slow. I didn't require an ID tag to recognize that they are from my office. They chose to walk this much distance instead of coming by bus. Boy holding her hand in his. I could recognize her yet in the absence of street lights.It was the same face I studied for finding that speciality.That hidden speciality.

Are we going by this bus or waiting for the next bus? "Rahul asked. "We will wait. Let the next bus come" I replied. "Let's hope so". I told myself. The signal turned to green. I waited there for vehicles to move on.